The Wayfinder's Apprentice (Shadows of the Umbra Book 1)

by K Dezendorf

“Rose, please,” Macklass said urgently, stepping between her and his sister. “Come with us. I’ll go with you to our father. All you have to do is beg for his forgiveness. Then we can be together.”

  Rose’s eyes widened, unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth. “No, Macklass. He’s a monster.”

  “He is our father,” Hadwin spoke up. “And a powerful figure. With him, we are safe. No one would dare oppose you, if you joined us. You would have nothing to fear.”

  “Nothing except him,” Rose said.

  “Rose...” Macklass’ eyes were desperate and imploring. “We are your family. You belong with us.”

  Rose backed away from him, shaking her head. Her eyes burned and she had to bite back her tears.

  “It looks like they’ve turned her against us,” Jenkto said with a somber voice. “We’ll have to take her by force.”

  Rose stepped back as Hadwin and Macklass shared a glance. “Please, don’t do this.”

  “I have to,” Macklass whispered.

  Dread, like nothing Rose had ever felt before, washed through her. Mentally she sent a prayer to Edward, hoping she could stall long enough for him to come back from his patrol.

  "I’m so sorry it’s come to this, Rose," Jenkto hummed. "Take her out, Hadwin."

  Chapter 24

  Hadwin approached Rose, his expression pitying but resolved. “This is for your own good, Rose.”

  Rose remembered her training with Edward, focusing on her body, her muscles, and she cast haste. Hadwin charged, making a grab for her. She quickly dodged out of the way, his fingers grazing against her side. Meanwhile, Macklass clapped his hands together and a black aura formed between them.

  She made a break for the door, however a stone wall popped up in front of her, cutting her off. She felt something dark and cold, like a chilly autumn night, collide against her back. For a brief moment, Macklass’ shadows slithered around her. Then everything went dark.

  Her haste spell faded as she stumbled blindly. A fist connected with her ribs and she gasped as the wind was punched from her lungs. Momentarily knocked to her knees, Rose scrambled to get back to her feet, her hands hitting the wall.

  The darkness cleared up in time for her to see Hadwin right on her. As he grabbed at her, there was a flash of light and he jumped back as a sword interjected itself between him and Rose. Only it wasn’t the sword she was familiar with. She looked to see, not Edward but, another man. The man Edward had dragged in bloody and unconscious.

  "And that's my cue,” Jenkto said, disappearing behind a pillar.

  Hadwin quickly jumped back, as did Macklass, getting a good ten feet away.

  "I’ll handle him,” Hadwin told his brother as he readied his mace. “You get Rose.”

  “Macklass, please, stop this!” Rose yelled at him.

  “You’re coming with us, Rose,” Macklass told her. “This is for the best. You’ll see.”

  “I think not.” The strange man wasted no time as he lunged at Hadwin.

  Definitely not who Rose was expecting for help, but she wasn't about to complain. She tried to focus on her mana, to recapture that feeling of accelerating through time. However, she was distracted and unnerved with the battle around her.

  Hadwin tried to block with his mace but the stranger drove his sword forward with such force that the blade went straight through Hadwin. He gasped and Rose screamed. Even though he'd been trying to kidnap her, he was still her friend. Someone she’d spent years of shared memories with. However, rather than slumping to the floor, Hadwin turned into a black wisp and faded away.

  Macklass cursed, turning his attention away from Rose to form up another shroud of shadows, only it wasn’t the gentle wisps she was used to. This looked… angry. Just then, the stone wall blocking the bathroom burst open and out emerged Billy, blood trickling from the side of his head. Jenkto popped out from behind the pillar and thrust her hand out, sending a pelting of spiked rocks at Billy. Rose watched as the floor beneath him swallowed him up and he vanished, the rocks pelting harmlessly against the wall. Jenkto froze in momentary confusion before Billy flew up from the floor in front of her, delivering a swift uppercut that sent her reeling back.

  Macklass turned his attention towards Billy, face twisted in an uncharacteristic snarl, and hurled the dark magic at him. There was no time to think. Rose ran towards Billy, flinging herself in the line of Macklass’ fire.

  The shadowy tendrils hit her dead on, and she gasped. Cold seeped down all the way to her bones. All of her energy was sucked from her at once and she collapsed onto the ground.

  “Rose!” The shout came from Macklass, the sound of it jarring. She’d never heard him shout before.

  Rose lay on the ground feeling very weak and dizzy. Billy was instantly at her side. Her gaze lifted up to Macklass who appeared horrified.

  The man with the sword took the opportunity and rushed forward, stabbing Macklass in the side. He stumbled back, bleeding and clutching his wound. His eyes looked fervently around the room. With a curse, he clapped his hands together and his form burst apart into dark smoke, and Macklass was gone.

  "Damn!" the man cursed.

  Rose searched around the warehouse for anyone else, breathing heavily. Jenkto peered out from behind the pillar, flashing a smug grin at Rose, before also fading to dark smoke.

  "Dammit," the man cursed again. "It looks like they were only shadow clones."

  "Shadow clones?" Rose repeated, finding the strength to push herself up.

  "It's a dark art," he explained.

  It was definitely the same man she’d seen before, only he was no longer dressed in average Earth attire. He wore loosely fitted, off-white garments threaded with gold, and a swirling symbol was embroidered on the left side just above his heart. At his waist was a brown and gold sash, and he wore simple travel boots.

  The stranger straightened up, and bowed to Rose. "He sends his regards, and understands you didn't ask for Him specifically. But He still sent me."

  Rose looked at him in confusion. "Who?"

  "Lore," the man stated. "My name is Xevero Lore. I am what's called a sublore. A devotee to the Paragon Lore."

  Billy bowed his head. “It is an honor.”

  Rose, however, was still very confused. “I don’t understand.”

  "You prayed,” Xevero explained. “Albeit not to Lore directly, but to one of His blessed. And so Lore heard it and sent me."

  "Oh." She did remember thinking about Edward but... she hadn't expected this. "Well, thanks for the help. My name’s Rose. Pleasure to meet you."

  He smiled warmly. "A pleasure indeed."

  The front door opened and Xevero held his large broadsword at the ready. "A round two then, you foes?"

  Edward walked in and stopped when he saw them. His eyes narrowed towards Xevero. "You."

  Xevero's grip on his blade tightened. "You... I will return you!"

  Rose forced herself up and stumbled in between them. "Whoa! No, we are not starting this again! Ow!" she hissed, flinching as her body spasmed with pain.

  "What happened?" Edward demanded, looking at her, then to Xevero. "Did this freak do that to you?"

  "No! No, he didn't. He actually helped me out just now." She took in several breaths, still feeling sick and fatigued. "Jenkto... she and her brothers sent... shadow clones and he helped me fight them off."

  “It’s true, Edward,” Billy piped up.

  Edward was still glaring at Xevero. "I can’t believe you’re back here. I sent you back."

  "You sent me back, but an almighty power sent me here. Upon request," Xevero stated, glancing at Rose. "Now again, you will be returned."

  "Look, guys, seriously," Rose said desperately, glancing back and forth between the two. "Can't this wait?"

  "I'm afraid not, ma'am," Xevero said. "It is part of the following. I must follow orders, and the orders are, take Edward in if at all possible. Any opportunity must not be missed." He dodged past her to charge at Edward.

&
nbsp; The gray shirt Edward was wearing unfolded into two blades on his arms and he shrugged. "Okay."

  As the sword came in, Edward fluidly stepped to the side, and attacked with both swords. Rose saw the blades pierce through and she had to look away as she heard Xevero gasp in pain. He took a few labored breaths before falling to the ground bleeding.

  Edward sighed as the blades retracted back into his shirt. "You'll never learn."

  "Edward!" Rose scolded. “Did you have to stab him?”

  "He'll be fine," he muttered. "I'll take care of this." He grabbed Xevero by the back of his shirt and dragged him into the back room, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. She watched as the two of them disappeared through the wall.

  "The magnitude of that arsehole knows no bounds," Billy stated, looking at where Edward vanished.

  "Why is that man so obsessed with getting at Edward?" Rose asked.

  Billy gave a hefty sigh. "So, Edward obviously hasn't explained anything to you in regards to that. So before he gets back…” He hesitated. “I originally told you, you'd have to ask him for his story."

  "He says he doesn't like to talk about it," Rose mumbled. She sat back down onto the floor, needing to rest.

  "It's one thing for me not to tell you anything. It's another for you to see some other guy get stabbed in front of you. So I'll explain it, only seems fair." He sat down on the floor with her, taking out a handkerchief and wiping at the blood on his face. "Lore is a Paragon of the Umbra. He is... someone who prefers to stay off the radar and yet wants to know everythin’. He has a band which He refers to as devotees. They're individuals who've sworn their oath to the highest regard, and He grants them immortality.

  “They are the eyes, the ears, and the hands of Lore," Billy went on. "Lore doesn't see people. No matter how close you get to Him, you'll never see Him. You'll never directly hear from Him. He is, as far as I'm concerned, the closest thing to a god there is in the Umbra. The others you can interact with, because they were once normal. But Him he's like a... just an essence." He got a small smile. "It's the mystery about Him that draws me in too.”

  This Lore guy certainly did sound mysterious. Like how he decided it was worth sending Xevero to help her out of such a pinch. At what price though?

  "Lore is the only Paragon who can give immortality." His expression became more somber. "Edward used to be a young Wild Elf. Nothing too special about him. Bratty little one he was. Still is. Years and years and decades ago, back when the human realm and the Umbra first touched, there was an incident, and portals were opened. Portals between the worlds. They were raw. Which meant anybody could go through them, any time. The portals acted like a force of their own. You got close and they'd pull you in. Eventually they’d stabilize into the portals that we use. Portals only last for a decade or so before fading and reappearing somewhere else, and it’s the whole process all over. A part of your Wayfinder training will be knowing where they are and how to keep track of them, should a new one appear. Years and years passed and we learned how to deal with these happenings. It was only recently there was a reported incident of anybody gettin’ pulled through. Two in fact."

  "Edward," Rose guessed.

  “And you,” Billy said seriously. “I did some digging. Edward disappeared from the Umbra about the same time you appeared in it.”

  Rose was stunned by this.

  Billy nodded. "Now, mind you, I'm hearing all this third party. So I can't tell you for sure. But it's the rumors that surround him. If you ever go to the temple of the Lore they'll tell you the stories. They have everything written down because it's history. It's important. It's what Lore does. Edward was pulled into the human realm. Humans never seeing an elf, and an elf never seeing a human. Didn't end so well. He was very quickly captured and experimented on. They did all sorts of everythin’ to him. Cut him, sliced him, injected him, you name it. And they kept doing it over, and over, and over again. They did it for months. Years maybe.”

  This part Rose knew. Edward had all but confirmed it for her, and she’d been an unknowing witness to some of it. She felt a pang of sympathy in her heart for what Edward had been forced to go through. A pang that echoed through her entire body.

  "He was an avid follower,” Billy continued. “He wasn't a devotee by any means, but he would pray. He loved Lore. He thought it was fantastic to learn things. Learn about things that everyone else had forgotten about. So he wasn't someone who would go to the temple every day, or every month, but he loved to spend as much time as he could just talking about history."

  Rose tried to imagine this Edward. An Edward with a bright smile as he animatedly discussed some trivial knowledge that few others knew. It was difficult, and it clashed so much with the Edward she'd come to know.

  "He prayed to Lore. He let Lore know he was sorry. That he let Him down, that he'd never be able to become a true devotee, that he wouldn't be able to progress. That his journey had ended here, and he was just sorry. He didn't pray for the Lore to get him out. He didn't pray for forgiveness or anything else. He just prayed to say he was sorry. The Lore saw that as strength and opted to give him an opportunity to escape." Billy stared at her intently. "You were there that day. The time is a bit weird, I know. Time works a little funny when going back and forth."

  "So the day he crash-landed into the street and made that crater..." Rose recalled.

  "He was trying to kill himself, because he thought he was stuck here in the human realm. He thought there was no way he'd be able to go back home. He thought it would be best just to end it. So he did the only thing he could, he jumped off the roof. But Lore didn't want him to die in vain. Lore knew how much Edward cared. How much he loved knowledge. So he granted him immortality."

  "Gosh..." Rose murmured, her head spinning. "I don't blame him for hating humans after all of that."

  Billy sighed and took a breath. "I was there to pick him up. The Lore had sent me to go get Edward. But he took off, like a Shade from the light. All those humans were too frightened, but you," he pointed at her, "you ran after him, and you got involved. While you were off with him, I was having to clean up that mess. Then I was able to track the pair of you down. I sent you through the portal and confronted him."

  Billy's face became very morose. "I knew right then he was a bit mad. And I don't mean upset. He wasn't all there. He began to curse at Lore, blamed him for having to live with such painful memories. He wished Lore had just let him die. Release him. But Lore won't have it. He knows Edward's still in there. So he sends the devotees after Edward in an attempt to bring him back."

  Rose let loose a shuddering breath. "That's terrible."

  "Us followers, we're not given commands. The Lore says everyone's free to do what they want. The devotees, they're set to bring him back, so Lore can try and talk to Edward. I do what I can to keep an eye on him. I'm a follower of the Lore. And… I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit fond of Edward, for all his… everything."

  "I get what you mean." Rose ran her fingers through her hair, feeling dizzy. It was a really heavy story, and she felt closer to Edward somehow.

  Seeing her expression, Billy hesitated a moment. "I know you mentioned your Shade problem, and I don't mean to... push, but I think if you were to talk to Lore, He might know. He seems to know everything."

  "How would I talk to him though?"

  "Like how you summoned that Xevero fellow. Through prayer. He doesn't show up in person, but He'll still answer, in his own way," he said with a chuckle. "There are many Paragons. But I'm not one to say you should or to force you, child. I feel weird even suggesting it. So please don't take it that way. The only reason I suggest it is, if it ever has happened, He knows."

  Rose wasn’t so sure about asking some power she didn’t know for help, but she appreciated the advice he was attempting to give. She leaned over and gave Billy a tight hug. As she did she gave a groan of pain as her body ached with another hard spasm.

  “Did you take a few hits, child?” Billy
asked, concerned.

  “Just a couple. Nothing serious, I don’t think.”

  “Whereabouts?”

  “My ribs.” Though, everything was hurting.

  “Let me see.”

  Rose tentatively lifted her shirt. She looked down and saw the bruising from where Hadwin hit, but she was startled to find there was a black mark on her stomach the size of a cantaloupe. It looked like it was pulsating.

  "Child, that's death magic," Billy exclaimed, his face paling.

  "Macklass…” His name left her lips on a trembling breath.

  Billy stared at it. "There's no way I can cure that. That's way out of my league."

  "Is... is it that bad?"

  Billy leaned in close. "It's growing. It's like it's alive. That's bad. Oh..." He leaned back. "All right, give me a second. Who... who knows life magic? Uh, there is... oh... calm down, uh... sorry this stuff makes me nervous."

  Rose pulled her shirt back down to help put Billy at ease. The sickening, aching in her body was getting worse.

  "Let me think." He got up and paced about before turning back to her. "So we have a bit of a problem. This is a curse, and I don’t know how to break that, and I don’t know many who can."

  The pain was beginning to spread through her body and it felt like she'd been awake and walking around for two straight days. It hurt even more knowing it was Macklass’ magic that was doing this to her.

  Through the fuzziness, she recalled one of the meetings she’d walked in on. Dimitri had mentioned someone… “Do you know who the Lady of the Light is?”

  "What?” Billy looked at her. “Oh, you mean the Paragon of Life. I’ve never met her. She could help, probably. But if we take you back, then your Guardian... I can't stop time."

  "Yeah, I know," Rose groaned, pulling at her hair. It was just one thing after another.

  "I can tell you one thing for sure. Curses don’t fade on their own," Billy said. “Either they’re broken or…”

  "How long do you think I have?" Rose asked nervously.

  "It could be from hours to minutes."

  She couldn't do anything for Kyan if she was dead. "Okay, let's go see if we can find this Paragon of Life. Did we want to take Edward with us?"